Absorbent articles are widely used by infants and incontinent individuals to receive and contain body exudates. There are currently many absorbent articles available which provide a wetness indication feature. In general, the wetness indicator becomes visible or disappears upon urination by a wearer. Also available, are absorbent articles which provide a visible indication of the remaining capacity of the absorbent article. However, these wetness indications can do little in the way of providing information regarding the number of times the wearer has urinated.
The wetness indication can do little in the way of providing the caregiver or a physician with information concerning the urination tendencies of the wearer. The number of urination events can provide useful information to the caregiver or physician concerning potential urinary problems with the wearer, if an unusually high number of wetness events occur in a short period of time or if an unusually low number of wetness events occur over a long period of time.
Moreover, counting or keeping track of the number of urination events experienced by the wearer could be useful as a continence training tool. In general, two important issues with regard to continence training are the bladder capacity of the wearer, and the ability to control the urethral sphincter muscle. Typically, higher bladder capacity and greater ability to control the urethral sphincter muscle equate to more successful continence training. For example, younger children, i.e. infants, because of their smaller bladder capacity, may have to urinate more frequently than an older child would. Smaller bladder capacity may inhibit continence training. In addition, these younger children may lack the ability to control the urethral sphincter muscle which could also inhibit continence training.
The number of urination events can provide the caregiver with information about the readiness of the child as well as whether or not the child has developed control over the urethral sphincter. For, example, the caregiver may note that the wearer urinates only once in a four hour period whereas previously the wearer urinated at least twice. This information could be indicative of an increase in bladder size or control over the urethral sphincter.
Also, the number of urination events can provide the caregiver with feedback regarding the successfulness of the continence training. For example, the caregiver may note that after continence training, the wearer urinates less frequently than previously, e.g. once in a four hour period versus twice in a four hour period which is indicative of some success in continence training.
Consequently, there is a need for an absorbent article with the capability to detect the number of wetness events experienced by the absorbent article. In addition, there is a need for an absorbent article which can provide the caregiver with a signal indicating the number of wetness events experienced by the absorbent article.